Tips to prevent weight gain while working from hom...

Let’s face it, less activity and more food usually leads to weight gain. Thousands of Americans are working from home temporarily during the 2020 pandemic. Many of us are enjoying sit-down dinners together and have more quality time to spend with family. Many gyms remain closed which is bad news for those that depend on them for providing exercise options. Three tips to avoid weight gain while working from home:

• Keep stepping: Don’t ditch your step count. You may not be able to log 10,000 steps per day but don’t give up on accruing and setting goals for daily steps. Adjust your goal to make it more realistic. Accrue steps inside your home, outside and around the neighborhood. Consider taking 10 minute ‘walking breaks’ throughout the workday. Check out fitness apps that make working out from home a solid option.
• Have kitchen hours: If you were working in the office, would you frequent the cafeteria throughout the day? Probably not. Wandering in the kitchen out of boredom leads to mindless snacking. Have set mealtimes and limit trips to the kitchen between meals (exception: water). If you like snacking, plan and prepare low-calorie snacks for long stretches between meals.
• Weekly weigh-ins: Gaining weight in small increments creeps up on you and, if you aren’t paying attention, pounds can add up quickly. Most of us are working from home in comfortable clothes, not form fitting work clothes. Weighing yourself weekly can keep you honest. Body weight fluctuates so have a ‘weight window.’ For example, if you feel your best at 150 lbs aim to keep that window between 150 and 154 lbs. If it hits 153 lbs, it’s time to practice portion control and increase activity.

Healthy Orange Salad

Add a healthy orange salad to your dinner meal to help you reach the minimum recommendation of 5 fruit and vegetable servings daily. Think outside of the box by enjoying both fruit and veggie-based salads. Beans, whole grains and herb add variety and flavor. Citrus goes well with greens and tomatoes with fresh mozzarella cheese. Experiment with fresh herbs. They pair well with many fruits and veggies and offer health benefits. For a tasty salad or side dish, top peeled sliced oranges with chopped mint. The explosive flavor of this combination is zesty and outrageously delicious.

5 Free Fitness Apps for 2020

Workout apps are all the rage and cover every type of workout. Enjoy strength training, yoga and/or barre workouts? There is an app for those. Here is a sampling of 5 free fitness apps for 2020.

JEFIT: This app is for resistance training workouts (no cardio or yoga). This app provides exercise training as well as tracking. Choose from hundreds of exercises by selecting your target muscle from a body map. Track your progress with photos.

NIKE Training Club: A great app that acts as a substitute for an instructor-led fitness routine. This app offers dozens of workouts led by Nike’s professionals, celebrity trainers and pro athletes. Choose your best workout by narrowing your choices based on specified criteria.

FitOn: An app that allows you to select from a variety of select workouts. Choose a workout by length, intensity, category or emphasis area. Because there is no membership or long-term commitment, you can use it as you like. FitOn offers a variety of workouts, such as HIIT, pilates or dance.

Seven: This app is based on the popular “seven minute workout” concept. This app is great for those that are short on time, dislike exercise and/or have little exercise equipment. Calisthenic-based exercises include body weight squats, step-ups and wall sits, for example. These are quick, straight-forward workouts.

Freeletics: You can effectively strength train without workout equipment. Body weight exercises for resistance training continue to be a hot trend. You can even choose a workout by the amount of space you have available. Freeletics covers all muscle groups and fitness levels, with step by step instructions for each exercise.